Cooks can use a convenient appliance like a double waffle maker or a countertop oven to save time and space. The baking plates of a double waffle iron are coated to prevent sticking so the Belgian waffles don’t get caught when removing the pastries from the unit. The flip design of a double waffle iron makes it easy to perfectly brown and then remove each waffle. If the waffle maker accidentally gets left on, its automatic shutoff feature turns it off. This preserves the life of the device and avoids the risk of an overheated electric appliance causing a fire.
This is a true Belgian waffle maker. Beautifully thick and evenly cooked waffles produced every time. There are 7 browning settings, beeping alerts and lights, a locking handle, and it even comes with a recipe booklet. The nonstick coating and removable drip tray allow for easy cleanup. And the highly polished stainless steel body ain’t that bad to look at either.
It is sometimes difficult to justify single-use appliances, and not just due to the cost. The space that the appliance takes up, whether in a cupboard or on a counter, is space that cannot be used for other multi-function appliances, as a prep area, or for anything else you may want to do in the kitchen. Products that make an effort to be compact, or at least efficient with the space they take up, always have an advantage over those that do not (all else being equal).
Our second budget pick, the Hamilton Beach Belgian Style Waffle Maker (26009), is another compact, good-for-small-apartments machine that makes consistently excellent waffles. It produces waffles more like those of our winner: thick, Belgian-style, with a crisp crust and a tender interior. Like the Cuisinart WMR-CA, however, this Hamilton Beach model tends to cost less than $30 but also feels somewhat cheaply made. The Krups GQ502D took a little more time than some of the other models we tested to bake waffles. In our tests, waffles typically took about seven or eight minutes to cook, while the Presto FlipSide, for one, cooked a thicker waffle in about half the time. But the machines that cooked faster also tended to overcook, or to develop hot spots. A few extra minutes of waiting time is a small price to pay for golden, even-toned waffles, and the wait isn’t so bad when you can make four waffles at once.
Depending on the quality of the device, waffle makers can last anywhere from a matter of months to a decade. I would suggest that you read reviews by people who have had their wafflers for longer to get an idea of how long you can expect your machine to last. As long as you purchase a decent waffle maker and take care of it, you should be able to make it last for at least a few years.
A previous version of this guide was written by Winnie Yang, who is now a Wirecutter editor. Yang worked in the food industry—with stints in a restaurant kitchen, cookware retail, and chocolate making—for over a decade. She was the managing editor of the print quarterly The Art of Eating and has written for that magazine as well as for Condé Nast Traveler, Feast, Jamie, Saveur, and Tasting Table, among other publications.
Toppings are fabulous, but the perfectly crisp, tender, and golden brown square waffles from All-Clad's Belgian waffle maker will leave you wondering, who needs butter and syrup anyway? It was one of the top scorers in all our performance evaluations and tied for easiest to use overall. Turn the dial to your preferred doneness setting, pour in batter (it's okay if you use too much — the removable moat tray will catch any excess), and go about your business until it chimes.

The Kalorik Traditional Belgian Waffle Maker makes large, fluffy, Belgian-style waffles with ease. Pour your favorite waffle batter onto the non-stick coated plates and close the lid, the waffle maker does the rest! Equipped with an adjustable temperature control knob, you can cook your waffles to perfection, make them as soft or as crispy as you would like. The unit features power and ready indicator lights, so that you always know when your waffle maker has reached its optimum cooking...

A. This varies depending on a range of factors, including which waffle maker you choose, the recipe you use, and how much batter you put in. If your waffle maker has one, we recommend trusting the indicator light to tell you when your waffle's done, but if you open the lid and it doesn't look crisp enough for your liking, you can cook it a little longer. Ultimately, it may take some trial and error to find that waffle-making sweet spot.
The Krups GQ502D took a little more time than some of the other models we tested to bake waffles. In our tests, waffles typically took about seven or eight minutes to cook, while the Presto FlipSide, for one, cooked a thicker waffle in about half the time. But the machines that cooked faster also tended to overcook, or to develop hot spots. A few extra minutes of waiting time is a small price to pay for golden, even-toned waffles, and the wait isn’t so bad when you can make four waffles at once.
A thick, fluffy, 7-1/4-inch-diameter Belgian waffle is already divided into four sections and ready to be shared when it comes out of this handsome waffle maker. That's because the grids' dividers are high enough to separate the sections. The grids are nonstick, meaning they readily release the four-piece waffle and easily wipe clean. A ready light shines when the waffle maker is properly heated to accept the batter and shines again when the waffle is cooked. With its chrome housing and stay-cool black synthetic handles, this 650-watt appliance looks great on the counter. Afterward, the cord wraps around the hinge, plus you can stand the waffle maker upright for compact storage.